How on earth do I lose weight? How did you?

[JustTheLemons]

Apologies for starting an AIBU but I have posted before in weight loss chat and not got much response.

I need to lose about 60 pounds, and I'm determined. I've recently got a binge eating habit under control, and for the last two weeks I've been sticking with 1500 calories a day as well as an hour long walk every lunch. I've gained 2 pounds!

I really don't understand how I can go from bingeing loads of calories a day to cutting them out and walking and gain weight! What am I doing wrong? I had been told that CICO was the easy way to do it but it's not seemingly working for me- I am now considering Atkins but I worry that's too restrictive for day to day.

Any help much appreciated!

My BMR is apparently 1821, so I would be hovering around 1300 with a defecit.

I am 5 foot 8 for those who asked. I also drink a lot of water, 3 - 4 L a day.

I also need to up my exercise, I know this. I was doing well running for a while but this heat kills me!

I'm also quite a social person and I go out for dinner a lot. I've just cleared my diary for the whole of August so I can get on it.

I'll be cutting my calories to 1300 for now, adding more exercise in the evenings and cutting out the socializing.

Cut out alcohol.

@bluebluezoo are you very short? I ask because you say about build and I'm short, and find I look chubbier than other people despite weighing less and being a smaller dress size. Your cals seem very low - would losing 1 lb a week not be better? If you're not overweight you'll find you struggle to lose 2 in a week anyway, your body just holds onto it harder.

There are lots of different ways of losing weight as you can see.

I lift heavy weights. That has made all the difference with me. I do not and will not restrict food and have started seeing it as fuel rather than the enemy. I lift 4 x a week and do cardio x2 a week. I eat 1800 cals per day which is a lot less than I used to but I'm not sure I'm really in a deficit! I eat 120 g of protein per day. I have lost half a stone really really slowly since February but I don't feel deprived at all. I have got out of the habit of binging. I think what is key is to try and learn to eat normally. Stave of hunger, include treats but avoid binging. This is the hardest thing to sustain but if you can, you'll lose weight.

1. Download MYfitnessPal -
2. Calculate your BMR
3. To lose weight eat less than your BMR + Energy expelled through exercise and operating. It DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOU EAT as long as it is within your calorific range.

It is this simple, the body is a machine, and in its simplest form operates as such. Energy in < energy out.

I know this runs in the face of slimming world and it's sins etc.

@langkaw - So much research now promoting heavy weight lifting and how it can promote greater weightloss than cardio. I think a healthy combination of cardio, weights, and walking is ideal

@fromdownwest this is exactly what I've been doing for 2 weeks- I have logged everything, using scales, on MFP. My steps are tracked with my fitbit. My BMR is 1821 and I've been eating 1400-1500 calories.

This made sense to me, more so than SW etc. which I've failed on, but it's made me gain 2 pounds so I'm at a loss.

Reducing calories doesn't work for me. I end up binge eating after a while and piling it all on and more.

The one thing that keeps me toned and shifts the fat is exercise. Lots of it! Mon-Fri I alternate running (about 30 mins) and doing a 30 min high intensity gym class in my lunch break. I also sometimes do a run at the weekends if I get a chance.

I can then listen to my body and give it what it wants as long I eat good nutritious healthy meals.

I've dropped a good half a stone in approx a couple of months

@langkaw are there any weight lifting programmes you can recommend? I will pick up weights when I'm in the gym but I can never stay consistent with it and I'm yet to lift heavier than 7kg. The only thing I've ever managed with any consistency is running and it's just too hot for that right now.

I also walk a lot, so I walk 30 mins to/from the train station twice a day which amounts to about 4km per working day

@YouJustDoYou I don't drink!

@justhelemons - Great work, stick with it.

I forgot to say:

4. Throw the scales in the bin!

Go on how you feel, not what you weigh. More energised, firmer, how you look in the mirror, how much you can do without losing breath etc

Over time you will start to 'know' what your body needs on a daily basis, and you will not have to log calorie input. I bet there are a few items you have logged that have blown your mind with how little or how many calories they actually contain! Its a learning curve.

But great effort!

@Frazzlerock - Exactly - If you want to eat more, then just make sure you exercise more. Once again it comes down to energy in energy out.

There is not one size fits all! Good work and enjoy those treats!

8 weeks ago I went gluten free having been trying to lose weight for ages and losing nothing and feeling very frustrated - I'm on medication for my thyroid and a friend had recommended going gf for three months to see if it helped (there's anecdotal evidence about the benefits for those with thyroid condition). I was skeptical enough but thought three months wouldn't hurt.

In those 8 weeks I've lost 16lbs and have never felt better. I don't think it's all down to going gf as I also gave up alcohol for July and I'm sure that has helped a lot too. I've been getting a 30 minute walk in most lunchtimes and at least three evenings a week too. I think all of that combined has helped - I'm still tracking food on WW.

Honestly, If I had a serious amount of weight to loose, I would take a sabbatical from work and go off to fix my health problem.

I would start with a water fast to shock the body into burring fat reserves, not just learning to lower my metabolism to survive on fewer calories.

Then I woudl go on a massive thru hike like the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail for 4 months. Come back thin and fit. Weight issue sorted in 4 months. Winner.

I think the weight gain is just an anomaly. Is your period due?
Keep doing what you are doing and it WILL come off.

*Honestly, If I had a serious amount of weight to loose, I would take a sabbatical from work and go off to fix my health problem.

I would start with a water fast to shock the body into burring fat reserves, not just learning to lower my metabolism to survive on fewer calories.

Then I woudl go on a massive thru hike like the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail for 4 months. Come back thin and fit. Weight issue sorted in 4 months. Winner*

Meanwhile, in the real world, ........

I lost 25 lbs from the beginning of April until now. That's about 1.5 lbs per week. I didn't count any calories. I followed LCHF principles (low carb high fat).

typical menu:
breakfast: plain full fat yogurt (sometimes with berries)
lunch: salad with eggs or cheese or meat
dinner: fish or meat with all kinds of vegetables

Snacks: berries and certain kinds of nuts.
Drinks: only water, tea, coffee with no sugar. Alcohol: only dry prosecco and dry wines.

No sugar, honey and no starchy foods (bread, pasta, rice, beans, potatoes, carrots etc.).

You can find details here: www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

In terms of exercise: 1-2 times yoga each week, tennis on Saturday, and a lot of walking (I don't drive so that helps).

Good luck OP!

I'm also quite a social person and I go out for dinner a lot. I've just cleared my diary for the whole of August so I can get on it.

This is not for wight loss but for maintenance, I eat out a lot - doing an adjusted form of 5:2 helps me not put on weight. If I have dinner/drink plans I eat lightly on other days that week (or have minimal breakfast/lunch) on dinner out days.

Also try and make dinner plans later so you can do e.g. a spin class first...

I’ve lost a stone in about a month following the 16:8 way of eating combined with the fast800. I find it so easy to stick to and previously I had tried every diet under the sun with not much success!

@tigerlily111 that is the real world. For me it would be easier to take a sabbatical form work and life than to fuck about with tracking everything I ate for 2 years!

Your diet is high in carbs and I query the calorie counts you've given. Is that an estimate or have you actually measured the exact portions? 480 cal for sandwich/melon/veg crisps, 499 for lasagne seem very low unless the portions were very small. You could have a large bit of fish or chicken, salad and veg for that many calories and they would be much more fulling and nutritious.

Replace the latte with black coffee topped with milk.

High Fat Low Carb. The weight just falls off.

PS. I didn't find it restrictive at all, just a bit more expensive...

My plan is to keep eating like this for the rest of my life, perhaps do carbs only one meal a day and keep it LCHF for the other two meals.

First, I'd lose 10lbs more though :)

Another voice recommending no carbs.

Having been almost carb-free for months, I went for Sunday lunch at the weekend and politely ate lasagna + garlic bread. Gained 2kg. I didn't eat 2kg of food, but carbs, and salt, make you retain water: remember a lot of fluctuations in your weight will be water loss/gain, and don't worry about the day-to-day readings on the scales as long as you go down from week to week.

I've almost got rid of the 2kg gain now, but God it was frustrating. Made me swell up to the size of a six-month pregnancy for two days.